Married couple star in On Golden Pond in Mount Clemens

A real-life married couple are the leads in What’s That Smell? Productions’ version of “On Golden Pond” at The Box Theater in downtown Mount Clemens.

Harry and Jane Burkey of Grosse Pointe Woods portray Norman and Ethel Thayer, an elderly couple facing their twilight years in the 1979 play by Ernest Thompson that would go on to made into a 1981 movie starring Henry Fonda and Katharine Hepburn.

“I have loved watching Harry and Jane bring these characters to life,” director John Forlini said in a news release. “Since they are married in real life, they have a chemistry that will be obvious to the audience.”

The Burkeys who have been married for 17 years, have performed in numerous theater ventures in the area over the years.

Other cast members include Clinton Township resident Mandy Logsdon, a veteran of Box Theater shows, along with Casey Hibbert, Jason Brouwer, and Logan Roberts.

“On Golden Pond” tells the story of the Thayers, an aging couple who spend each summer at their home on a lake called Golden Pond and are visited by their daughter with her fiance and his son. The play focuses on the testy relationship the daughter had with her father while growing up and the issues faced by the couple in their later years of marriage.

Forlini said “On Golden Pond” is one of those “feel-good plays everyone will enjoy.

The Box, located at 90 Macomb Place, is a 70-seat venue that offers an intimate viewing experience in a minimalist “black box” environment.

The play will run April 13, 18, 19, 20. 26 and 27 at 8 p.m., and at 2 p.m. on April 14 and 21. Tickets are $18 for adults and $16 for seniors and students. For more information, call 586-954-2677 or visit www.theboxtheater.com.